Standing makes things worse?

[joeparz]

Hey guys


I recently set my desk up so i can stand rather than sit all day. And now i am experiencing something new.

My lower back to the middle of my buttcheeks is on fire. Like a numb,tingly, burning sensation. I thought standing was supposed to relieve symptoms?

Could this be something other than PNE?

[srinmav]

I don't usually experience much pain during standing. But standing for a long time can bring on severe pain afterwards. With sitting, the option for sitting for long periods isn't simply there as the pain can quickly escalate through the roof.

During early stages of nerve entrapment, symptoms are usually variable and unreliable. When I first started having PN symptoms, pain was not very specific (often sitting would cause no pain), but after several months of onset of symptoms it was very specific and certain activities and postures always caused pain. From what I understand, sitting pain is likely to be there if PN/PNE is past its early stages.

Anyways don't diagnose yourself with PNE ( or negative) based on certain symptoms alone, many pelvic and systemic disorders have much overlap. You have to exclude several other possibilities (with blood work, MRI etc, if you have not done them already) before attempting any concrete diagnosis.

[Violet M]

PN is often accompanied by other problems such as SIJD. There are other things like tarlov cysts that can cause the same symptoms as PN. Hope you can get your MRI soon to find out what all is going on.

Violet

[neopeius]

Hey Joe!

When I starting standing full time to avoid sitting, after a couple of months, I developed the symptoms you describe--like sciatica.

Hamstring stretches were the cure. Do the one where you lie on your back and hook your foot behind your other thigh and pull. You can find sciatica stretches all over youtube--it's a much-better understood phenomenon than pudendal pain.

[Lernica]

Could be tight pelvic floor muscles pulling on your sacrum. I had the same problem. Have you been to a pelvic PT for an assessment of your pelvic floor? A pelvic PT is always a good place to start.

[bikelover]

I'm experiencing the same thing and I think its because standing all day long also puts stress on other parts, muscles, etc

[Karyn]

If you do a web search on the health hazards of prolonged, static standing, I think you'll be surprised by the amount of hits you'll get.
It's well documented in NORMAL people that this activity can cause all manners of MSD's. In addition to being too much load on the lower spine, pelvis and lower extremities, there's also a risk of venous congestion.
There's a big difference between being on your feet all day (moving frequently) and prolonged static standing.
Just a couple of references:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12454452
http://www.arpapress.com/Volumes/Vol8Is ... 8_1_03.pdf

Beynon and Reilly are also a good source for data.

Kind regards,
Karyn

[Jooles67]

Does anyone have a heavy dragging feeling when standing in their pelvis and lower back? Alongside this, I have compression and burning sensation in my lower back/buttocks and radiating pain one side more than the other in my hip. Sitting is agony. However, when I'm at work and static standing - I get pain in my knees and then my feet. I cannot wear any shoes that have a hard sole but even with soft soles by the end of the day my feet feel as though I've walked a marathon. Last week I wanted to have some nicer footware and after only a couple of hours my feet felt as though they were on fire....... I alternative between standing and sitting as I have a desk that I can adjust but its choosing the the worst of two evils.

I've think I've made things worse by ignoring the problem in the first place, not understanding what the problem is and then trying to be a good girl and work through the pain in order to get my job done!!!!!!!!

[Violet M]

Jooles, I've heard people describe the heavy feeling but I have not had that. Have you been evaluated for SI joint dysfunction as a cause of your low back pain? What about acetabular labral tear in the hip? Both of these can be associated with pelvic pain.

Violet

[deBBieW]

I have had a back ache, lower - like sacral feeling, or in the mid back - for about 3 weeks. Sometimes it's better upon waking, but sometimes it's with me all day long. I've had professional massage, husband massage (better than nothing), hot tub, cook pack, hot pack, massage with magnesium oil, taken ibu, or tylenol, (some relief) Lyrica is not helping with that at all. I suspect it's muscular if ibuprofen helps at all. My posture isn't the best, but I do some core, and stretching almost every day. I also purchased some expensive, supportive running shoes months ago, so I'm careful when I'm on my feet all day.
I do a lot more standing than ever before, and perhaps it's my SI joints acting up. They have been a culprit in the past.
I'm going to ask my doc if I can have a PT look at my SI joints again.

I also wonder if it's just from stress, worry about this whole pain affair?? The pain/brain thing. I don't have anything else majorly stressing me out in life right now, but PN is always on my mind - you all know what I'm talking about.

Do any of you that static stand try bending your knees just a tiny bit? I've read that helps with posture. I have to write myself notes to remember to do this, as it's not natural.

This is all so annoying, as if the PN pain isn't enough.
Debbie